Chapter 33

Archer found herself staring into grey eyes. They were the color of the clouds, brimming with a curiosity Archer was very familiar with. However, that curiosity was buried beneath a cold exterior. Cold and calculating, yet very curious. Those eyes bored into her, refusing to look away. They followed every movement she made. She shifted, watching those eyes follow her movement. They traveled up and down her body and landed on her eyes. The one opposite her shifted as well adopting the very same position Archer moved herself into. A smile was hidden behind her mask as she took note of this.

"You're an interesting little creature" Archer finally spoke as she took in the form of the exceed. Like the others who just recently hatched she was small. There were two white feathered wings sprouting out her back. Tiny little things they were. The exceed that seemed to be curious about her was silver in color. Well, silver grey. That's still silver in the end. She had three shades of grey to define her. The overall color of her fur was silver, of course. Archer had spotted three horizontal lines on her back, a deeper shade of grey. Shadow grey if she was correct. And of course her eyes. The color of the clouds. They were quite beautiful in all honesty.

Archer already had three possible names for this newborn exceed. Silver. Shadow and Kumo. Kumo being cloud in Japanese. Then again she could just name her Silver Shadow for the sake of being cool.

Archer tilted her head and the exceed followed her movement, eye still glued onto her form.

"Can you speak?"

Archer was curious. The others don't speak. Happy's only word was his trademark "Aye" as he popped out of his egg. Archer wasn't sure if that should be considered a word. Lector and Frosch make incoherent sounds. They are excited sounds, acute to the coos of a baby. Carla was silent, something Archer saw coming. She was a tricky one after all. And lastly Lili. She wasn't sure about him actually being in the egg, but turns out he was. A little Lili came out of the egg. He was silent as well. Until Gajeel decided to approach and probe him. His first sound was a grunt as he shifted away from the gruff Gajeel.

So that left Archer's exceed. She hadn't made a sound, but she was so observant and apparently calculating. Archer was sure she was dealing with one smart little exceed. So maybe she could speak. She seemed to be copying her movements, maybe she'll copy her words.

"You've been having your little staring contest for thirty minutes now"

Archer didn't let her eyes wander from her exceed. Her only sign of acknowledging Erza was a hum. She was aware of the time she spent staring this creature down. She didn't mind. She was interesting.

"She copies" Archer said, stating the obvious.

"I can see that"

"A copy cat" Grey laughed to himself.

Archer furrowed her brows before reaching out. Grey eyes instantly snapped towards her, but the exceed made no move to resist in anyway. Her hand came to rest on a furry head. The exceed was quiet under her hand. Her eyes stared up at her arm with her own furrowed brow.

"And here I thought Archer would get a scratch " Mira said in disappointment. She then grinned when her younger sister shot her a warning look.

"You are soft" Archer muttered quietly as her fingers enjoyed the grey fur they were on. Soon she pulled her hand away and picked the exceed up. She made her stand, holding her just in case. After a moment she let go and immediately the exceed tumbled. Archer just watched it happen. She wouldn't hurt herself. She was still in the blanket nest.

Something interesting happened.

Before she landed on the soft blankets she literally disappeared from sight. Archer clicked her tongue and looked to the sky. Sure enough there was a blob of grey heading straight to the ground. This exceed was seriously an interesting case.

"What was that? "Erza wondered as she too gazed up at the sky. "Did she teleport? "

"I suppose" Archer followed the exceed's descend carefully. Would she catch herself before reaching the ground?

She did. That was a relief. She drifted above the ground, staring at the grass beneath her. Again those eyes found Archer and she approached.

Archer raised an eyebrow when the exceed planted herself on her head. The wings were gone and she just sat there.

"Well" Erza looked between the two. Out of all the magical cats that hatched out of the eggs this one seems to be the oddest of all. Erza sighed, still not processing the fact that cats came out of eggs. Cats with wings.

"Seems she likes me" Archer said cheerfully.

"Will you name her? "

Archer shrugged and leaned forward. This caused the exceed on top of her to slip off her head and right into her arms.

"Would you like me to name you? "

The exceed nodded.

"You know" Erza came to stand next to Archer. "For a baby she has a pretty cold gaze"

"You think? "Archer chuckled. "I don't mind. She's observant and curious"

"So, since she's a baby and you'll be taking care of her" Erza started. "That makes you her parent" Erza smiled in merriment at the thought.

"That's something to think about"

Archer eyed her exceed. "I have three names for you. Silver. Shadow and Kumo"

"Because of her color? "

"Yes" Archer nodded. "Although I can also name you Silver Shadow. That's sounds impressive doesn't it? "

The exceed nodded, but the look in her eyes didn't change.

"What's the point of two names? " Erza asked

Archer only shrugged. "I'll name you Silver"

Another nod from the exceed.

"I am Archer and this is my friend Scarlet"

"Erza" the redhead sighed

Archer was sure Silver could speak if she wanted to. All that observation were certainly not for nothing. But it looked like she didn't want to. Archer didn't bother herself with it too much. Having already named her exceed and introduced herself, she placed the creature back on her head.

And just like that Archer had a fuller house. She could already see her night. Happy is a ball of sunshine that always flying around. Lector seems to enjoy playing with Sting. Playing with him meant running around the house and yard. Frosch, well Frosch is frosch. Carla was her serious and quiet self. Lili was. How does she even describe little Lili?

Archer sighed and turned towards the house. She should make some food for everyone or something.

"What would you like to eat today, Scarlet?"

"I'll eat anything you cook, in all honesty"

"Oh? "

"Yes. You're an amazing cook"

"Well of course I have to be if I'm going to marry you" Archer chuckled and almost laughed when Erza spluttered and almost stumbled over herself.

"What? " Erza wasn't sure she heard her correctly.

"Why so surprised? Weren't you the one who asked me to marry you? " Archer quirked an eyebrow. "Well you actually told me to marry you"

"I mean.. I wasn't.. You "

"You're flustered" Archer stated as she eyed the blushing Erza. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why? "

"How do I explain that? I want to know why this conversation has you flustered"

Erza opened her mouth to reply, but could think of nothing. She sometimes forgets that Archer doesn't know much about emotions.

"I can't even begin to.. " Erza sighed. "why did you even agree to my dumb demand? "

"It amused me"

"Of course"

"And I did not know how to reply to such words nor how to feel about them"

"Thought so"

"Either way" Archer was cheerful again. "I don't think I would mind. The idea is very amusing after all"

"You don't say"

"Who would be the husband in our relationship? "

"Well, I always think you'd make a good wife so I guess I would be the husband? I'm not sure"

"So then I would be cooking and cleaning and taking care of the children while you busy yourself with work" Archer snickered.

"That's very stereotypical "

"Yes, but amusing"

~~~~~~~

Erza found herself in Archer's room. The girl had said something about picking out clothes for Silver and Erza was interested. So there she was. Seated on Archer's bed, cup of smoothie in hand, watching Archer stare at Silver. Apparently Archer was taking this task seriously. At least that is what it seems like.

"You're really taking this seriously, huh? "

Archer looked away from Silver, a thoughtful frown on her face. At some point she shrugged and returned to staring at the exceed.

"She can't go around nȧkėd"

"There is nothing to see" Erza pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. She must wear clothes. What do you think will look good on her? "

"I don't know, a dress? "

"Maybe I'll give her a weapon too"

"She's literally a baby" Erza sighed.

"A very intelligent baby" Archer smiled. "Or so I believe "

"Just let her choose then . Lay out an ȧssortment of clothes and see which one she picks"

Archer nodded and her eyes shifted to Erza. She stared at the smoothie in hand and quirked a brow.

"That's my smoothie"

Erza nodded and continued to enjoy the cold beverage. She was very much aware of the fact that it belonged to Archer. She should've asked, but in the end she didn't. She just really wanted a smoothie and Archer tends to be very generous, so she took it.

"My smoothie" Archer repeated, her eyes still on the cup of delicious strawberry cantaloupe smoothie.

A sigh left her as she turned her attention back to Silver. Oh well. Erza was really enjoying it. There was no need to take it back. That's just mean.

"Do you want some? "Erza asked when she saw the look on Archer's face. It was starting to amuse her.

"I'm fine"

"You sure? "

"Perfectly "

"Not even a little sip"

"Not even a drop"

"Okay" Eras shrugged and continued to sip on her straw.

Archer clicked her tongue

"Fine, give me some"

"You just said no"

"Now I'm saying yes"

"It's too late"

"No it is not. I still have the right to consume the drink I made myself"

"Why are we arguing about this? "

"I have no idea"

~~~~

"Happy! "Natsu shouted as he displayed the blue exceed to the entire guild. All eyes were on them the minute he stepped foot into the guild. There were multiple looks of amazed shock around the guild when the wings were spotted.

"It's a freaking cat! "

"Aye! "

"It can talk! "

"Aye! "

Natsu was beaming with his joy as he displayed Happy to every member of the guild. Sting was right behind him doing the same. He brought Lector to everyone who wanted to see him and if anyone said anything weird about him they got a little fist to the face.

Rogue had followed the two to the guild. It's not that he actually wanted to. He had no interest in introducing Frosch to anyone. It's just that he doesn't tend to be away from Sting. They've been together for the longest of time now that it's weird to be without him.

"What are they anyway? Who's ever heard of cats with wings coming out of eggs. Everything about it seems unnatural " Wakaba commented.

"Who knows. There's a lot to this world"